"There is only one way to build homes. With love."

For three days, members of the DHL Express senior management team traded their office attire for clothes more appropriate for construction work. They flew to Bogota – Colombia's capital city – to join volunteers from TECHO to build new housing in the South American metropolis' most deprived areas. DHL Group supported this project via the Improving Lives Fund.

TECHO is a charity organization with a difference – it specializes in providing affordable accommodations throughout Latin America for people who live on the margins of society: the poor and the homeless. These houses are 'transitional homes' called mediaguas, which provide shelter for families made homeless by natural disasters or political upheaval. The charity's Facebook page features a quote that sums up its attitude toward helping those in need: "There is only one way to build homes. With love." The statement expresses TECHO's purpose of constructing homes for families living on the streets in an unmistakably clear way.   

On site, the team of volunteers dug new foundations, hammered, sawed and ultimately created well-constructed buildings with their own hands. The simple wooden houses soon became new homes for people who had previously had none. After just three days, the DHL Express volunteers were able to welcome the first families as they prepared to move in. A local DHL Operations Manager in Bogota explained that delivering such a project is an impressive way to show the people of Colombia how committed DHL is to making a long-term, sustainable difference in their country.